The sports world was buzzing after a video surfaced of Stephen A. Smith and Dwight Howard doing an interview discussing a trade that Knicks owner James Dolan wanted to do with Iman Shumpert and although Howard said he could come to the Rockets, the move would be a huge mistake for the Knicks.
Rumors have already started to circulate that Carmelo Anthony could leave for the Lakers and without young players like Shumpert there, the Knicks will not win a championship. The young star is exceptional on defense and as his offensive game develops, the team would be wised to hold onto him as long as they can.
The news was revealed in the satellite feed for an ESPN interview with Stephen A. Smith and Dwight Howard and was found by Deadspin.com. The report says that Azaz of the Knicks FanBlog was able to tape the satellite feed and in between moments from the interview and picked up on a nice tidbit of information. While the two are talking in between takes, Smith says that Shumpert was on his way out of NY due to the fact that Dolan wanted him to work out in the summer league.
Shumpert dealt with recovering from a left ACL injury last season and once he was fully healthy, he showed the explosiveness and athleticism that the Knicks love in him. While Dolan said he wanted to trade him, clearly that has not happened and no far it appears as if it won't be happening, at least not this offseason. Shumpert averaged 6.8 points, 1.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds last season and in 12 postseason games he averaged nearly 10 points and played stellar defense as the Knicks won a series against the Celtics and lost to the Pacers.
Smith goes on to say that the team shouldn't trade him and they should hold onto him because he can play, to which Howard responds that Shumpert could come play in Houston. Shumpert was mentioned in trade rumors numerous times this past season, but the Knicks would be wise to hold onto him, as he is a budding star with a fantastic defensive game. The 22-year-old had a great playoff run with the Knicks and this offseason he will be working over the summer to get better.
The team is using both Iman Shumpert and first round pick Tim Hardaway Jr. in the summer league as well as newly signed C.J. Leslie, who has a good chance of making the roster depending on how he plays. The summer league is a good time to work out raw players to see what they have and the Knicks will need some depth after the Raptors deal and this might be the best way to get it.
Shumpert will be able to work on some things in the summer league and while he is only going to play a few games, Hardaway should be able to use that time to get acclimated with the team and show why he was taken with the first round pick. Shumpert likely will work more on offense than defense over the summer and he likely will also play some point guard next season and he can do that in the summer league as well.
Last season the team went 54-28 and ranked seventh in scoring defense while ranking 11th in points per game. The team hopes to improve in both areas and adding Smith will play a big part in that. The team also can sign Carmelo Anthony to a five-year extension in February, according to ESPN.com, which would come ahead of free agency in 2014.
